please don't shine so bright
by Poisoned Scarlet
Summary: Juvia tires of waiting, tires of trying. But she will never tire of loving because he took her rain clouds away – In which Juvia learns a painful lesson in love and Gray comes to a realization.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail.

**please don't shine so bright  
by. **_Poisoned Scarlett_

"Juvia…tires of this love triangle," she tells herself, watching Gray and Lyon battle it out right in the middle of the guild hall. She looks right to find Cana holding a barrel of liquor protectively to her, her grin crooked and her words slurred as she watches on as well. She can hear the rest of her guildmate's shout encouragingly, starting to place wages on who would win this battle of wits and strength.

"Oh, no," she hears Lucy sigh beside her. She had not heard her walk in, which was not too strange considering the discord the guild was currently in. "Not again! Seriously, this is the fourth time this week. He's almost as bad as Natsu!"

"Natsu," Juvia murmurs, looking back to the Ice-Make mage duo. Her eyes widen and she gasps, color draining from her face. "Is Natsu a love-rival as well?! J-Juvia does not think she can defeat him…but she will try, _for Gray-sama!"_

"Uh, what're you mumbling on about over there, Juvia? Are you okay?" Lucy laughs nervously, watching her friend glare menacingly at the pink-haired mage, who was currently devouring a plate piled-high with food. He seemed indifferent to the battle raging on behind him, more interested in stuffing himself of Mirajane's cooking. He would have remained there, too, had Gray not accidentally sent a stool flying at his head in his haste to clear the guild hall.

Lucy winces as the stool breaks on her friends head. Silence reigns in the hall, before it picks up again with laughter. Juvia gulps and watches with parted lips as Natsu shakes with rage, looking over his shoulder at Gray, who had by now decided he could care less that he'd just chucked a stool at his friends head. She hears the guild coo out a string of _ooo's _because it was one thing that Gray and Lyon were fighting, throw Natsu into the mix and you had yourself an outright brawl.

"Who the hell threw that?" Natsu shouts, slamming his fist on the table. "EH? WHO WAS THE BASTARD WHO THREW THAT AT ME?"

"Hey, shut up, you're too loud!" Gray snaps, returning his gaze to Lyon, who picks himself off the floor and falls back into a fighting stance. "Now, then," Gray smirks, his eyes darkening with the thrill of the fight. "Where were—WEEEE!?"

"Gray-sama!" Juvia cries, wincing when Gray crashes into the wall from the force of Natsu's punch.

"WAS IT YOU, GRAY-BASTARD? IT WAS, WASN'T IT!" Natsu steams, cracking his knuckles. "Don't bother me when I'm eating, goddammit!"

Gray is quick to recover.

"THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?"

"FOR THROWING A CHAIR AT ME, YOU ASSHOLE!"

"Who the hell cares about that? You've had worse," he smirks and Natsu growls, annoyance flashing in his eyes. "Go back to your kiddy meal," Gray waves Natsu off haughtily, running his knuckle over his lip. If Natsu actually managed to split it open, he would pound the bastard into a wall! But after he finished pounding _this _slanty-eyed bastard into the ground for trying to steal his guildmate again! "THIS IS BETWEEN ME AND POINTY-EYES OVER THERE!"

"Say that again, you poor excuse of an Ice-Make mage!" Lyon sneers.

"What did you just…" Gray twitches, starting to advance, already composing a magical attack to seal his long-time rivals lips from spewing anymore stupidity.

"Hey, don't go ignoring me, ice-prick!"

Gray dodges a blow from Natsu, shouting: "Get the fuck out of my way, flame-brain!"

"NOT UNTIL YOU FIGHT ME!"

"Tch, fine!" Gray smirks, punching his fist into his other hand. He had already stripped off his shirt, too pumped to even notice. "I'll take both of you on right now—gah, what the—Lyon?"

"Never take your eyes off your enemy, _Gray_," Lyon smirks, aiming another punch at his abdomen.

"Honestly," Lucy exhales heavily, watching all three men wrangle each other to the floor with a wry smile. It isn't long before Elfman jumps into the brawl as well, shouting something about fighting being what real men were made of. It isn't long after that that Evergreen screeches at him to stop acting like a fool, because she would rather eat dirt than be seen dating a buffoon, and for Erza to halt her midday treat to bring order to the hall once more.

"When will they ever learn?" Lucy giggles, fondly watching Natsu wrangle Lyon to the floor, cackling the entire way—until Gray pounds his head into the ground, his own laughter stumped when Lyon knees him in the chin and sends him barreling into a dazed Natsu.

"Go, Natsuuuu!" Happy cheers, laughing when Lucy snaps at him for encouraging Natsu. Juvia watches this all with a sense of detachment, her fingers digging into the material of her dress. She sinks a little lower in her seat, watching Gray and Lyon and Natsu go at each other. But mostly, she focuses on Gray, and how he is the most alive when he is in the middle of heated battle. She thinks about how his eyes come alive and his laugh is unrivaled and his entire self seems to shine like a beckon of light, far too bright for her to compete with. She shifts her gaze to Lucy, whose laugh is like the ringing of church bells and who stands with a confidence that Juvia cannot compete with, either.

She cannot compete with most things that are out there in life, but this has not bothered Juvia before—not until she had her heart struck by the cruel arrow of love and found herself grappling for a sense of self-worth in the face of one Gray Fullbuster. She finds her utter lack of competency disgraceful but, most of all, she finds it saddening that she cannot attain that watt of brightness that Gray and Lucy and Natsu and the others can. She has never been a raucous person, has never been able to communicate with people very well. She likes to think that her communication with people has improved, Meredy coming to mind, as well as many others, but compared to her guildmate's, she is a dying ray of light on the verge of being overtaken by nightfall.

She tightens her grip on her dress skirts.

She is nothing but a nightlight compared to the sun that is Gray Fullbuster.

"Juvia,"

She startles, looking up to find Lyon looking down at her. She blinks, surprised that the brawl between men had stopped in her musings. She hadn't even noticed! It's not like her to be so absent-minded, Juvia thinks concernedly, and where is Gray? Is he alright, is he hurt? She finds her panic unfounded, however, because he is sitting beside Natsu at the bar, eating something after a long and hard fight between friends; unscathed, for the most part. She feels disappointed at the sight. That sense of disappointment is always there, but today it is harder to push away.

She always has her eyes on Gray.

But he never looks her way.

"I wanted to ask you something," Lyon begins, his cheeks heating up. He clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. He had rehearsed this on his way to Fairy Tail; he would not get it wrong! "I mean, since I've got a day off today and all, I was wondering if—h-hey, where are you going?"

"Juvia has some things she needs to take care of," she tells him with a nervous smile, inching away as Lyon inwardly cries because he had been intent on looking cool for her. "Juvia is sure your guild needs you, so if you would excuse—!" She stills when he grabs her wrist, his grip tight and unlike the other times he has stopped her in her tracks. She looks and finds his face set, his eyes looking into hers with an intensity that makes her heart beat faster because Juvia does not know how to handle this sort of male interest. She can barely handle it when Gray compliments her, how can she ever hope to deal with eyes that remind her too much of her own?

"Just once," he says, evenly. Juvia's eyes widen. "One date, that's all I'm asking for. I understand your feelings for Gray, I'm not stupid like him," he adds, twisting his lip in what she thinks is a smile. She can't tell. She hasn't seen that expression before, one torn between amusement and grimness. "But it would mean a lot to me if you did. I promise that if it doesn't work out today, I'll stop…pursuing you," he forces out, his eyes dropping to the floor, and Juvia wants to say _no _because she holds a torch, its light the brightest even if she herself is not, for Gray Fullbuster and taking on a date could ruin things.

But she can't help but to feel as if Lyon is like her—holding her at such a high pedestal, his eyes always on her when he is present in her guild. It's an ironic chain, she realizes suddenly, his eyes on her and her eyes on Gray. There are two who never look back and, she realizes with a clutch in her heart, she is one of the guilty ones as she stares at Lyon.

"….Y…Yes," she whispers and jumps when a chorus of _WHAT?! _resounds through the guild. She snaps her head to the right, her face heating up when she realizes that the entire guild had been watching the drama unfold as she had been contemplating such heavy things. She can see Cana burst out laughing, slapping her thigh and grinning evilly in the direction of the bar—where one Gray Fullbuster sat, frozen stiff in his seat. Lucy is blinking rapidly, as if she cannot understand what has happened, and Lisanna has stopped her mopping, staring slack-jawed along with Mirajane, who had nearly dropped the cup she had been cleaning.

"S-she said yes!" Wendy squeaks, hand covering her mouth, eyes wide with wonder.

"Could it be that she has finally gotten over Gray?" Carla wonders.

"Lyon has won the hardest of fights between men!" Elfman cries, slamming a hand on the table. "THE FIGHT OF _LOVE!_ MANLY, INDEED!"

"Nooo!" Juvia cries, aghast. Perhaps agreeing _had _been a horrible idea! "It's not like that! Lyon—Juvia—_Gray_-_sama_—!"

"Well! We're wasting daylight here!" Lyon chips happily, wrapping an arm around Juvia's shoulders and dragging her out of the guild. "C'mon, Juvia, I'll take you to a really nice restaurant for _our first date!"_ He grins and Juvia pales considerably, thinking that perhaps she is too naïve after all, as the confused shouts and occasional laughter of her guildmate's is left behind.

"Oh? A date, is it?" Erza comments, turning back to Gray. He is staring at the doors intensely, his eyes set on figures they cannot see anymore. He looks back with a huff and continues eating but Erza notices just how tightly he is gripping his fork and how the nerve in his neck bulges with the force of his rage, each forkful of food rough and each swallow full of anger.

"A date, Juvia has a date with Lyon!" Happy croons, flying in circles around the trio. "Date! Date! Date—ack!"

"Shut up, cat!" Gray snaps and throws another fry at him, glaring at the Exceed who sticks his tongue out at him and lands in a flop on Natsu's head.

"Buahaha!" Natsu laughs, grinning at Gray. "Neh, what if they really hit it off? What're you gonna' do then, Popsicle, there goes _your_ cheerleader! BUT I STILL HAVE _LUCY!_" He guffaws, more than smug about this fact.

"I'm you're _what?"_ Lucy screeches, glaring daggers at the dragon slayer who only laughs louder. "I only wore that outfit once and it was for a competition! I am _not_ your cheerleader!"

"Mou, but _Lucy_!" Natsu whines.

"Don't 'but Lucy' me! I'm not some brainless bump, you jerk!"

"But that's all you do half the time, anyway!" Happy slyly comments.

"Wha—I—It's not like you do anything, either!" Lucy steams with red cheeks, growling when the Exceed merely grins behind his paws. "Argh, HAPPY!"

"Natsu may be onto something," Erza interrupts their banter. All eyes swing to Erza as she sinks her fork into her cake and looks at her closest friends. "It's not farfetched to say that Juvia would grow tired of waiting for Gray and move on. After all, it has been nearly two years since she joined Fairy Tail and she has not progressed romantically with Gray. Although Lyon is not Gray, he _is_ an Ice Mage. I would say they're both just as compatible as Juvia and you, Gray, excluding some personal factors, of course."

"Wh-what?" Gray chokes, shocked at the words that have just come out of her mouth. His eyes flash and his lip twists with a sneer. "What are you trying to say, Erza? That she'd _actually_ go for that jerk? It's just one date, it doesn't mean anything!"

Erza spares him a cold glance. "I'm saying ones heart can only wait for so long before it is taken by another."

Gray stares, at a loss for words. It's only broken by Natsu's slap on the back, his laughter as he says not to worry because he was willing to share Lucy if worst came to worst.

"EHH? WHO DO YOU THINK I AM!?" Lucy shrieks, shaking a fist at a sheepish Natsu. "IT'S EITHER YOU OR GRAY, NOT BOTH!"

"So you really _are_ a cheerleader? I thought so. You have blonde hair," Happy nods, as if fact.

"N-no, wait a second, what does hair color have anything to do with this? ARGH, HAPPY!"

Gray shifts his sights away from the arguing trio, looking down at his unfinished lunch. The heart only waits for so long before it is taken by another? Erza says many things, some serious and some ridiculous, but she is never wrong in the matters of the heart. Gray doesn't want to tread those waters, not yet, not ever if he can help it, but there is an awful wrench in his chest, as if his heart has plummeted into the icy ponds of his old training ground in the northern mountains.

He pushes his plate aside and slides off his chair. "I'm not hungry. Thanks for the meal, Mirajane."

"Oh…sure," Mirajane blinks, worriedly watching her friend pick his shirt off the floor and put it back on silently. Natsu frowns at Gray's backside and Lucy's brows furrow with concern, hoping that things don't end tragically for her friend, while Erza smiles.

Sometimes it takes a push, she thinks to herself, and Gray has never been the one to ignore fate's warnings.

* * *

"…Uh, do you not like steak?" Lyon asks awkwardly, noticing she had yet to take a bite out of her dinner. Juvia snaps out of her thoughts, her cheeks pinking.

"O-oh, no! Juvia likes steak, thank you!" She hastens for her fork, her hands shaky and her heart in her throat.

"You don't have to be so nervous," Lyon comments. Juvia looks up, surprised he had noticed. He offers her a wry smile and looks back down at his plate, moving around some food as he gathers his thoughts. "I know you're just doing this out of the kindness of your heart and it makes me happy. Thanks for not shooting me down in front of the entire guild," he smiles at her.

"Juvia… Juvia doesn't know what to say," she admits, embarrassed. She had been dreading spending the entire day with Lyon after what happened in the guild, but she had been surprised to find that at the end of the day she had _fun_ with him. He is not as obnoxious as she made him out to be and he can be very sweet when he wants. He had bought Juvia one of those new floats that a popular ice-cream parlor in Magnolia had come out with! He hadn't needed to, she hadn't even voiced her longing for one, yet he had noticed! Juvia had been wondering if this is what it was like to be liked by someone so intensely, where the other person notices every single move of yours.

Then she thinks about Gray and her heart hurts.

"Look, I know that you like Gray a lot," Lyon begins. Juvia waits. "I'm not saying that your feelings for him aren't real, but do you think that there's a chance between us…?"

Juvia's lips part and she looks down at her lap, her eyes sad. She understands what he is trying to say: if there was even a smidgen of it working out between them. The day might not have been an total disaster, but that does not mean that she has had a change of heart. It's a little too late for those types of mishaps. "Juvia is sorry she cannot reciprocate your feelings, Lyon."

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that. Worth a shot, though," Lyon sighs and Juvia looks up, surprised. His next words are bitter and do not settle well with her: "Guess that damn prick gets the girl, too, huh?"

"J-Juvia doesn't think that you are a bad man!" She speaks up, her face heating up when he looks up at her. But she can see the hurt in his eyes and it makes her own heart reach out for him—because they are both the same, in a way, trying to reach for another person who is out of their range. But there is a difference between the both of them, a difference that Juvia cannot ignore. "Juvia thinks that Lyon-san is very nice! He is very sweet and kind and he is also very generous!" She tells him, smiling when he loses that look of hurt for one of surprise. "Juvia thought that today would be a disaster but, Lyon-san has proven her wrong. Juvia had a lot of fun today, a-and she is very grateful that you bought her a root beer float!"

"Ahah," Lyon's brow twitches. "That's what the remember the most, huh?" He had taken her to various places throughout the day, even to the aquarium because he figured, with her being a water-based mage and all, she'd enjoy being surrounded by her own element.

Juvia nods fervently. "So don't feel down, Lyon, Juvia had a lot of fun today and even if we cannot be together, you are a very nice man and you will find someone who loves you very much! Juvia is sure of it!"

"Lyon," he says and her brow creases in confusion before he looks up, a crooked grin on his face. He's handsome when he smiles, Juvia thinks with a clear of her throat. But he does not make her knees weak like Gray does, does not make her pulse threaten to burst through her skin like Gray does. "You called me by my first name, so casually."

"A-ah, well…Juvia is sorry. She didn't mean to be so disrespectful."

"No, it's fine. More than fine, actually, it's great!" He grins at her. He points at her plate, her unfinished meal. "We can wrap that if you want. It's getting pretty late and I don't want to anger any of your Fairy Tail friends by bringing you home too late," he smirks, raising his hand to call the waiter. "That Erza can really give anyone a run for their money!"

Juvia nods distractedly, unsure of what to make of this resignation from his end. She knows that his feelings for her have not changed, yet he is giving up? Just like that? She looks down at her lap and thinks hard, trying to make sense of his actions. Perhaps there is wiseness in letting go of something one cannot have, she decides, and perhaps this strength comes over the years. Lyon is older than her, seven years older to be precise, and it shows in his maturity and how willing he is to let all of this go. It pains her just to think that perhaps one day she will have to do the same with Gray, but Juvia does not run from this thought now.

Lyon did not run. She will not run, either.

Because it is true, these things she feels and she ignores in favour of showering Gray with blind affection. Juvia tires of waiting, tires of _trying_. She tires of doing everything she possibly can to make him look her way, just a _glance_. It is pathetic and she knows this but she cannot help it. She cannot help how her heart jumps in her chest when she's close to him, how she sleeps with a big smile on her face when she manages to have a good conversation with Gray—even if it only lasts five seconds. She cannot help these things yet she knows she cannot continue on this path for long.

"Well, we're here," Lyon tells her and Juvia looks up at her apartment, time moving fast when dredged in ones thoughts. She turns to Lyon, clutching the box where the waiter had wrapped her dinner in to her chest. He has his hands in his pockets, a slight smile on his face despite the fact that things have not turned out the way he wanted them to. He is much older and is much wiser than her. Juvia admires this and wishes she, too, could be wise like him. She wishes she had enough strength in her to stop herself from chasing after smoke, but she does not think the time for that has come.

"Thank you for today, Lyon-san," Juvia thanks sincerely, smiling at him. "Juvia had a fun time with you!"

Lyon nods and hesitates. Juvia cocks her head to the side, wondering what it could be, and gasps when he suddenly reaches forward and hugs her tight. She swallows, tensing up, but lets him embrace her. It does not last long enough for things to be awkward and he lets go with a smile, his eyes light. He does not make any longing gestures, does not try to convince her a second time to consider a future between them. He only says his thanks for letting him take her out for a day and he tells her to have sweet dreams before he walks away, waving.

Juvia stares at his retreating backside until she can no longer see him. Then she looks down at her plate of food, her thoughts a mess and her heart warring between following in Lyon's stead and letting go of the bright ray of sunlight she cannot compete with or continuing as she has. Juvia feels her eyes well with frustrated tears and her fingers grip her package tight, her heart full of turmoil and her thoughts telling her things that _wound_ her—

"Juvia!"

Juvia gasps, looking up to find Gray jogging towards her.

"Gray-sama," she whispers as he comes to a stop before her.

"You're crying," Gray states, his eyes darkening with rage. Juvia reaches up quickly to wipe away her tears, ashamed she had been caught in such a weak moment. "What did that bastard Lyon say to you? I'll beat his face in for making you cry—!"

"NO! Gray! Stop, he did not do anything to Juvia!" Juvia cries, holding him back. Her dinner falls to the floor in her urgency to stop Gray before he did something rash. She manages a reassuring smile at him. "Juvia…Juvia was just thinking about something silly, that is all. Lyon-san did nothing to make Juvia cry! He was very nice!"

Gray looks at her silently for a few seconds, making Juvia more and more nervous as time went by.

"…You called me Gray."

"Huh?"

"I said, you called me Gray," he looks back up at her, his face inscrutable. She cannot read it and this frightens Juvia because she _does_ pride herself in being able to read Gray. But this expression she cannot explain.

"O-oh, Juvia meant to say—!"

"Do you like him?"

Juvia looks at Gray, lips parted.

He faces her fully, his face the most serious she has seen it. "Do you?"

"Y-yes," Juvia says, blinking rapidly. "Lyon-san is very nice and I am sure that one day, he will find someone who loves him very much!"

Gray takes a breath before pausing. "No, wait, I meant do you _like _him, Juvia?"

Juvia cocks her head to the side. "Juvia already said she did!"

Gray twitches. Of all the times to be dense, she chose _this time? _"I meant if you have _feelings_ for him!"

"O-oh! No! No, no, no," Juvia shakes her head fervently. "Lyon-san asked Juvia this, too, but she cannot reciprocate his feelings!"

"…Because of me, right?"

Juvia has imagined this moment many times. She imagined she would run into his arms and bury her face in his chest and nod, her whispers of adoration leaving kisses on his skin. But she never imagined it would come at a time like this—when she is _actually_ considering a future without Gray by her side like she wants, without Gray in her bed, without Gray laughing with her in the guild, his arm around her shoulders. She would have never fathomed it would come at a time when she is truly, if not heartbreakingly, considering only being with Gray as family—as guildmate's and nothing more.

"Yes," Juvia begins, her eyes saddening again. "But Lyon-san confuses Juvia. He is letting Juvia go despite liking her very, very much. Juvia…does not understand how, but…she is starting to. Lyon-san understands that Juvia do not have feelings for him like he has for Juvia and he accepts this. Juvia…thinks he is very strong for doing such a thing. Juvia does not think she has the strength to do that yet, but…" Juvia looks up at Gray, who watches her silently. His expression is still inscrutable. She cannot read him! Could it already be that she has started to let go of him? Her heart lurches painfully at the thought. She feels tears well in her eyes again. "She will need to, soon, right…_Gray?_" She forces out, biting into her lip because she wants to add the -sama so badly but she thinks that this is a good first step.

The first step to letting go, just as Lyon let her go.

"No."

"What?" She looks up, eyes wide with shock.

"No, you won't," he meets her wide eyes and Juvia thinks that her heart is going to explode in her chest from the intensity of his stare. She does not know how to handle this sort of gaze, wants to melt into the floor and become one with the concrete for a little while. But Gray does not let her back off, look away. He grabs her wrist and says, "I've been putting off giving you a straight answer for a long time. I know it's not fair, but I didn't know how to give you a proper answer. I wasn't sure about what I felt for you then, but," he takes a breath and Juvia's eyes widen even more, if that's possible. "I am now. I can give you the answer you deserve now."

"Gray…"

"I…don't want you to leave my side," he says, groaning at himself for how lame that came out. He had planned out a smoother reply but, in the heat of the moment, he could barely think straight. His hand holding her wrist is hot and he wants to touch more of her. "You can be really weird sometimes and over-the-top, and you've got some hobbies that really _freak me out_…"

Juvia's mouth falls open, mortified he thought so lowly of her. Perhaps asking for punishment was not as sexy as Cana said it was, she thinks mournfully.

"…But your presence always make me feel better," he smiles softly at her. "You're really funny, you should talk more so people know this. And you might be over-the-top, but you know when to back down and give me space. Not to mention you've always come through for me during battles. There isn't anyone else I'd try a Unison Raid with and, even if there was, I doubt it'd be as strong as it is between us."

"Gray, you, Juvia, um," she fumbles, her tongue tied, her throat tight and her breathing labored. Her head feels like it is going to float off her shoulders and she is doing all she can to keep herself from fainting. Is this truly happening? Is Gray really admitting his—_feelings_ for her?

"I screwed up," he admits to her with a sigh. Her eyes are wide, her heart soaring. "I didn't think about your feelings, only mine, I acted selfishly. I'm sorry, Juvia, for putting you through all this for such a long time. Erza told me during the Grand Magic Games to give you an answer and I still put it off," he lowers his eyes, feeling guilty. How could he _not_ know about her feelings? She was very vocal about them and it did not take long for him to realize this was not just some petty crush. They were very real and very fragile and he knows very well how easily love can become hate because he has seen it happen too many times before.

He does not think he can live with Juvia hating him.

"G-Gray-sama does not need to apologize! Gray-sama could have taken all the time he wanted to give Juvia an answer, he does not need to force himself! J-Juvia would wait—!"

He shakes his head at her and she stops her rant. "No one would wait forever, Juvia, especially since I haven't done anything to make you believe you should."

Juvia lowers her eyes, wanting to refute him but knowing he was right. But not fully right. "Gray-sama is right," she says, softly. She looks at the hand that is holding her wrist, notices how he grips it tighter after her words. "But he is also wrong. Had things continued the way they were, Juvia would have found someone else. But she would never be able to give them her heart, Gray, because _you_ have her heart." She smiles, her fingers tremulously reaching for his hand. "Gray took away the rain Juvia was known for. Gray showed her the sunlight for the first time. _Gray_ is the reason she smiles and she laughs. No one can compete with that," she smiles warmly at him and finds that she knows this expression of his, it's shock, and she thinks that there are still things she needs to learn from Gray. And this makes her very happy.

"Juvia," he murmurs and she sucks in a breath as he pulls her against him, his arms wrapping around her. She never thought she would be able to feel his chest, his heartbeat. It pounds furiously, perhaps just as loudly as her own, and it makes her eyes well with tears for different reasons. She wraps her arms tightly around him and squeezes her eyes shut, burying her nose in his chest and hopes this is not some dream—some majestic illusion she has crafted in her despair. But it can't be because he feels so real and despite being an Ice-Make mage, he is so warm and feels so like home it makes more tears well in her eyes.

"H-hey, are you crying?" Gray pales, just realizing that she was sniffling into his shirt. "Hey, are you alright? Juvia!"

"Juvia is fine! Juvia is just _so happy_," she wails, bringing him into a bone-crunching hug that makes him wheeze but does not erase the grin from his face.

"Y-you weirdo," he chuckles, placing a fond hand on the top of her head as she nuzzles her nose into his chest.

"All is well," Erza nods to herself, peeking at the new couple from the bushes. Her brow twitches when she hears Natsu curse, hissing at Lucy to watch where she's stepping. "Both of you, quiet! They'll hear!"

"It's not my fault! Lucy stepped on my finger with her hell heels!"

"They're _boots_ and I said I was sorry!" Lucy hisses back, crawling so she is kneeling next to Erza. She peeks as well and gasps, mournful she had missed the touching confession. "Oh, no, did I miss it?"

"Yes. It was very touching, indeed. From the heart! It was glorious!" Erza knocks her fist into her armor, making Lucy laugh nervously because she's sure she had dented her armor somehow.

"Eh? That bastard actually did it!" Natsu squawks in disbelief. Happy clings onto his head, watching in wonderment. "Shit! He's ahead of me!"

"Is that really all you're thinking about?" Lucy mutters, rolling her eyes at his pouting. "At least we know now that he didn't lose Juvia!"

"Feh, as if she'd actually go for that bastard Lyon," Natsu waves off, not looking too concerned. Happy nods, backing Natsu up. "I don't know why you're all making a big deal out of this!"

Lucy growls, cheeks puffed out in a huff. "Because Juvia means a great deal to Gray and he just realized this, that's why! He could have really lost her! Plus, what do you mean, what's wrong with Lyon? I think he's a nice guy!"

"Ehh?" Natsu squints at her. "Don't tell me…you _like _him?"

Lucy flushes, stuttering the closer Natsu came. She did not like that look in his eye at all. "I—I don't! What the heck are you saying, Natsu, I don't like Lyon! Don't be ridiculous! I was just saying, he's not a bad guy!"

Natsu scrutinizes her bewildered expression for a second before nodding, taking it as truth. "Good. You better not."

"Natsu…" She says, softly, her cheeks pinking a little at his words.

"'Cause I need a cheerleader, dammit, no way is some pointy-eyed bastard gonna' take that away!" He grins and Lucy growls, raising her fist to smack him on the head. She would have, too, had Erza not done it for her, her gaze full of murder.

"_You_," Erza booms, making Natsu shrink. "You need a lesson in love yourself, you idiot!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" He squeaks.

"Forget it, Erza," Lucy sighs, standing up. Gray and Juvia were long gone by now. She wonders if he had said his goodnight to her and left to his own home—or followed her into her apartment. She shakes herself of those thoughts; no need to scar herself so early on! "Natsu is hopeless. Don't even bother! The day he understands love is the day I give up skin products! Anyway, I have to go home. It's late and I'm tired! I'll see you two tomorrow! You, too, Happy!" Lucy smiles at them, waving before making her way back home.

"Byeeee, Lucy! Don't get lost!" Happy calls after her, going back to clinging onto Natsu's hair.

"I understand love," Natsu mumbles defiantly, rubbing the lump on his head as he watches her leave.

Erza spares him glance and smiles. "If you truly did, you wouldn't have dismissed Gray's dilemma so swiftly."

"Why not?" Natsu shoots back, annoyed. "We've both seen enough to know that Juvia loves Gray. I wasn't kidding when I said Juvia wouldn't go for Lyon; she's way too attached to Gray to think about it!" He stands up and dusts himself off, sending Erza a grin before leaping out of the bushes and heading down the same way Lucy did. "Night, Erza!"

"Wait, where are you going?" Erza asks, also dusting her skirt off as she stands.

Natsu looks over his shoulder and grins. "Gonna' go check on Lucy to see if she made it home okay!"

"Bye, bye, Erza! Don't worry, we'll make sure Lucy makes it home safe!" Happy salutes her and flies off after Natsu.

Erza watches them leave with a contemplative look on her face. "Could it be…?" She murmurs, thinking about it for another second. "No. It must be a fluke. Natsu couldn't be aware of her feelings for him." She decides this with a nod, heading back to her home for the night and hoping that the guild would not make a great fuss of Gray's new relationship with Juvia.

* * *

**A/N: **I've had Gruvia feels since Juvia's first appearance. They were only strengthened when Lyon came into the picture. I also have a lot of NaLu feels although they're harder for me to write, mainly Natsu because he can be a real idiot sometimes. This is my first Fairy Tail fanfiction and I hope it lives up to standards. I tried to keep them all in character. Hopefully I succeeded and hopefully you enjoyed reading it!

_Scarlett._


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